Social networking systems enable users to interact with various objects represented within the social network. For example, a social networking system allows users to designate other users or entities as connections (or otherwise connect to, or form relationships with, other users or entities), contribute and interact with their connections, post media or commentary, share links to external content, use applications, join groups, list and confirm attendance at events, invite connections, and perform other tasks that facilitate social interaction. External applications also use the services of a social networking system to allow authenticated users to incorporate some of the above social interactions with use of the external applications. Similar interactions may also be a part of the user experience within other network services.
For example, users of a social networking system are able to utilize the social networking system to give gifts to one another. Through a series of commands in a user interface within the social networking system, a first user may select a second user to receive a gift, select a gift, add a personal message, and complete the transaction. In response, the social networking system facilitates the transaction with the corresponding merchant and publishes a narrative of the gift giving for one or more users to view. The narrative may be visible to the recipient of the gift. Alternatively, the narrative may be published publicly or such that connections of the giver and/or receiver of the gift are able to view the narrative.